Today we kicked off a message series on Parenting. Here are some of the highlights, resources, etc....
(527 in worship, our highest number since May 2007!)
Week 1
Parental Guidance Suggested Required:
The Parent’s Priority
Check out our resources page here.
In our own lives we tend to make a Faith Transition that has us ending up in church, especially when we have children:
We must have a deep seated value that says: Kids need God
In a book on the stages of Faith a person goes through there is a progression of faith development that is strongly influenced by parents at the early going:
i) The child learns the faith of the parent
ii) The child learns and begins to adopt the symbols of their parent's faith community
iii) The adolescent begins to gain a worldview and seeks to reconcile that with their learned faith.
iv) The adult develops a matured sense of self and self in the world. Faith becomes integrated with this Self/World adaptation.
A PARENT’S PRIORITY IS TO GRADUALLY TRANSFER A CHILD’S DEPENDENCE AWAY FROM THEM UNTIL IT RESTS SOLELY ON GOD.
These are the commands, decrees and laws the LORD your God directed me to teach you to observe in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess, so that you, your children and their children after them may fear the LORD your God as long as you live…
Deuteronomy 6:1-2
In this series on parenting there are a few important statements I would like to begin with:
My own family includes three wonderful children who are growing in a way I don't have the right to hope for.
But there are no judgments here. I've seen great people who's children never could quite find their way in life. I've seen great people whose parents failed completely and yet the children are wonderful adults. In parenting it's important to note that the child is granted a free will, just like the parents. Choosing not to go the direction the parents point is as frustrating to parents as it is to God when we don't go the way He wants.
This is not just about the parent. There is an African proverb that states "It takes a village to raise a child." The Search Institute did a vast study of children and found that they need forty assets in their lives in order to grow to be healthy productive members of society. Lacking a few of these, a child will struggle. Of those forty, I found 26 that did not occur in the home but rather in the school and community (including the church.) A child is every one's job.
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD.
It must start with your love for God. Loving God with your heart, soul, strength.
Your kids will know if you don’t and they will live out your love of God.
What you watch
What you surf
What you say
What you do
A study of kids Who Become Active Christ-followers as Adults
If mom and dad went to church: 72% of kids will as adults.
If mom only went to church: 15% of kids will as adults.
If dad only went to church: 55% of kids will as adults.
If neither mom nor dad: 06% of kids will as adults.
These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates.
Deuteronomy 6:6-9
TALK ABOUT FAITH WITH YOUR FAMILY.
“The thing that impresses me most about America is the way the parents obey their children.”
Edward, Duke of Windsor
You must lead intentionally
Worship is a requirement for my children
Prayer at meals and bedtime
We never ground from church activities, ever.
We do not live a child-centered life, we live a God centered life. (More on that next week.)
BECOME A PROVERBIAL PARENT.
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
Train: Hebrew is chanak (khaw-nak'); to initiate, dedicate, or train.
The word literally means palate – A paste was placed upon the palate of a newborns mouth to initiate hunger and sucking response.
We initiate the hunger and train our children how to respond appropriately in life.
TRAINING FROM PROVERBS
Train them to manage God’s money. (Prov. 3:9-10)
Train them to carefully select friends. (Prov. 13:20)
Train them to watch their words. (Prov. 4:24)
Train them to be responsible. (Prov. 6:6-8)
Train them to guard their minds. (Prov. 23:7)
Train them to be generous. (Prov. 11: 25)
Train them to fear God. (Prov. 1:7)
ARE YOU LEADING YOUR CHILDREN OR ARE YOUR CHILDREN LEADING YOU?
2 comments:
Dave - I enjoyed your message. Even though I am not a parent, I have been an aunt for over 30 years, and a great aunt for over 13 years. And I know that my actions influence alot of children around me. Thanks for tying the series to the entire GS community. Speaking for myself, I appreciate that you are looking at this series from the community perspective. Jai Vaughn
Dave - I just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed the approach you are taking with the sermon. I do believe that the impact of the entire community is vast on the lives of the children. And, while I don't have children, I have been an aunt for most of my life. Thanks for the open approach. Jai Vaughn
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